Cooking Eggplant

Preheat oven to 400°. Peel eggplant and cut into 1" cubes. Place in colander and sprinkle with salt. ...
Once eggplant is drained, rinse, dry, and place on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and roast 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until eggplant is golden and tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

How do you cook eggplant properly?
Why do you soak eggplant before cooking?
How do you cook eggplant without getting soggy?
Do you have to peel eggplant before you cook it?
Why are eggplants bad for you?
Are eggplants good for you?
Why is eggplant rubbery?
Is salting eggplant necessary?
Why do you soak eggplant in milk?
How do you cook eggplant so it's soft?
How long does Eggplant take to boil?

How do you cook eggplant properly?

To cook eggplant in the oven, preheat the oven to 475°F, toss, brush, or drizzle your cut eggplant with olive oil, and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until the eggplant is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

Why do you soak eggplant before cooking?

Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before cooking it to draw out its bitterness. ... This technique of soaking sliced or chopped eggplant in salt water is particularly useful when making grilled eggplant.

How do you cook eggplant without getting soggy?

There aren't any methods that will prevent eggplant from soaking up oil entirely, but these three will definitely reduce how much is absorbed.

Brush the oil onto the eggplant. Instead of pouring oil into the pan, brush it on the eggplant flesh. ...
Microwave it first. ...
Sweat the eggplant. ...
Soak the eggplant in milk.

Do you have to peel eggplant before you cook it?

Do you have to peel eggplant before you cook it? You don't. The skin is entirely edible, though with larger eggplants it can be a little tough. If your eggplant is young, tender, and on the small side, the nutrient-rich skin can probably be left on for skillet frying or braising.

Why are eggplants bad for you?

Are There Any Risks? Eggplant and other nightshade vegetables have the chemical solanine, which some people claim adds to inflammation and makes diseases like arthritis worse. There's no solid evidence that the small amount of solanine in eggplant worsens arthritis symptoms.

Are eggplants good for you?

A GREAT SOURCE OF VITAMINS & MINERALS

The vitamin & mineral content of eggplants is quite extensive. They're a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, fiber, folic acid, potassium, and more!

Why is eggplant rubbery?

You need a minimum cooking time and water for it to be cooked thoroughly. You mentioned that once they turned out tough and chewy: then they were not cooked fully through. Vegetables are not like meat, which turn rubbery when overcooked. ... Cut with a spoon to check if it is cooked.

Is salting eggplant necessary?

No need to salt first. Most recipes for eggplant insist you salt it before cooking. ... If you're cooking it in some other way — roasting, grilling, steaming — salting has no effect. And when you are salting eggplant for frying, it takes a lot more than just a quick sprinkle and rinse.

Why do you soak eggplant in milk?

Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.

How do you cook eggplant so it's soft?

As an alternative to grill-roasting, pierce the eggplant in several places and roast it whole and unpeeled on a baking sheet at 350°F until it's quite soft and starting to collapse, almost an hour. Peel and drain it as you would for grill-roasting.

How long does Eggplant take to boil?

Whole, medium-sized globe eggplants should take approximately 20 minutes to be fully cooked but still slightly firm. Add 5 minutes or so for silky-soft flesh. Increase or reduce the time by a few minutes for larger or smaller eggplants.